Last Days

The next day I was feeling great and it was the last day of camp. The nurse Alexandria, who I absolutely adore, made sure I was eating right and that I was feeling okay throughout the whole day! They are so hospitable. During small group we had some snacks and took lots of pictures with all our campers! It was a great last day.

After our evening snack we were all called back into the building where we have big group session for "surprises". All of the Americans went to the front of the room and we were quizzed on our team motto! I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, but we are each placed in a small group. Our small group is a "team". We have a name and motto and win points for our team all through the week. Our team name is "transformiere" which is Transformers! and YES I did know our motto! It is "Meh nie sozdane shtobe zdavatsa, me sozdane shtobe mienatsa!" which means "We were not made to give up, we were made to transform!" After that we each recieved a present from the moms. They made beaded leaves which they put on grapes and made into pins for us! They are absolutely amazing!

By the time this was all over, it was late and many people from the camp left instead of leaving the next morning. The pastor Meesha and his family (Anya, Amina, Dariy, and Amille) all left that night. It was especially hard saying goodbye to this wonderful family. Many many tears were shed while we said our final goodbyes. At this time I also said goodbye to my small group, because most of them do not wake up early enough the next morning to see us leave. The absolute hardest goodbye was to those who I have known for the past three years. Alohna, Nastia, Roma, Dasha, Oksana, Alexandria, Tanya... and so many more. I know that I will see these people again someday in Heaven, but that doesn't make saying goodbye any easier!

The next morning we left. Many of the staff and campers came out to say goodbye! Like always, they stood outside the bus and waved as we pulled away. Such a wonderful scene full of joy! These beautiful faces are so dear to me. I don't know what God has in store for me, but I do know that if I have the chance to go back to Ukraine in the future I will jump at the chance.

God works in incredible ways! This trip was the hardest trip out of the three for me, but God taught me more on this trip than all three as well. He taught me how to be humble and to be silent when necessary. He showed me his love and grace, His forgiveness and mercy. He showed me glimpses of himself.

A lot of times after mission trips people are on a "spiritual high". For me, I wouldn't call what I am experiencing a spiritual high... I am experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life more than ever before. This isn't just some high that will last for a couple weeks then leave. This is real. This is love. This is God working in me. I can't wait to see what He teaches me next.

Thank you to everyone who supported me to go on this trip! I am so blessed that you took time, energy, and money to help me experience Ukraine! I will never be able to express my thanks and utter gratitude towards you.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading my blog! I hope the Lord has touched you, blessed you, shown you something new through reading this. I pray that God used me as a tool for His glory through this blog. I loved reading all of your comments during my time in Ukraine! They were such an encouragement to me!

Love you all!
-Ashley

We Worship the Same God!

Today was a rough day. I woke up around 5 AM and was sick. I have never gotten sick in Ukraine before so it was very frustrating not being able to be with the campers because tomorrow is the last day at camp. I was so sick that I had to stay in bed most of the day trying to get better while Oksana and the nurse took special care of me. They are such a blessing and God shines through them constantly. I went outside twice today and both times awesome things happened. First was morning session and I sat outside because it was very hot in the room. During this time Dasha and Marika played with my hair! It was absolutely precious.

Then we went to small group and the sisters Olya and Yulia said they wanted to accept Christ as their Savior. Our leader, Vova, asked them why they need to be saved and they did not know. They said they had never done anything wrong. It was heartbreaking to see them so close to the peace of Christ and yet not get it. Please be praying for them as they continue to learn that we are all sinners in need of a savior and an understanding of their own sin and separation from God.

After small group I went back to bed. Around 10 PM we usually have a team meeting. I woke up and no one was there, so I got dressed and went to find them. The Ukrainians and Americans were worshiping God together as they gathered around candles formed in the shape of a cross. I joined them and was overwhelmed by God's love and grace. Hearing different languages and seeing different races worship the same God is a most powerful experience. We are the body of Christ. Brothers and sisters through our Lord. I wish I could explain how incredibly amazing it is to worship like this!

God is powerful and mighty and worthy to be praised! After this experience there is no way that anyone can deny the love of Christ.
Love you all!
Ashley

P.S. Late afternoon, Kerry and the girls in my room prayed over me that I would get over my sickness and be strong tomorrow and on the trip home. I thank God for our incredible group!

Dasha Melts My Heart

Hey friends!
Yesterday it was raining nonstop. It was also very cold but we got through it! One of my highlights was a little girl named Dasha. She was in my group the first year I came here. Her older brother is Roma and I am sure I posted about him last year. But anyway, she used to hate being away from her mom. Last year she was better but still very closed off. This year however, she is the biggest joy. She is always laughing and having fun with us. She especially loves Tyler. She is always with him and holding his hand. Tyler is so good with her. Tyler and I have been on this 3 year Ukraine journey together and I am so amazed at how much he has grown since the first year. He loves these people and is continually being the hands and feet of Jesus. I am very blessed to have gotten to know him so well. He really is like an older brother to me.

Anyway, back to the point, Dasha melts my heart! Haha! An awesome thing that happened today was completely unexpected. It was raining and we had to get from the session building to the dining hall. I knew that I would not be able to push her so I asked Sanchez to help me. we were pushing Yulia, one of the sisters who has not opened up and never really smiles. So Sanchez decides to go through the grass instead of staying on the path because it is faster. It was so bumpy and Yulia just splits a gut! She could not stop laughing. it wasn't just a small laugh either, it was a belly roll! Haha, I have not seen her so happy all week. It was so awesome to see her finally break down and let us see herself. Anyway, what an awesome day!

Love you and missing your all! Oh, and thank you everyone for the blog comments! You are so encouraging and helping me get through the day!
Love,
Ashley

P.S. Lindsey, I wish that you could see Dasha! She has grown so much. I love you and miss you not being by my side.

Blessed In Giving

Sunday, June 26, was quite an adventure. Haha! The camp was muddy because it rained the night before so there were not many activities. However, during our break time, Taras took us to a World War II bomb shelter. It is about a 15 minute walk from camp through the woods and up a hill. it was so much fun to goof around with the team! Anyway, it was very fun. I adore these Ukrainians and I wish I could stay for much longer. Their hospitality continues to blow my mind!

About and hour after we got back from the shelter, the whole team (plus Taras) left to have dinner at Pastor Peter's house. He is the pastor of the church in "the village" and has a heart for God like none I have ever seen! During prayers he would shout "hallelujah" and "amen", haha it was wonderful. So his house is barely big enough to fit us all in the dining room and the small "library" (I don't know what to call it), but we were served the most delicious dinner ever! Not only that but the food kept on coming. Each time he brought more food we thought "okay that's the end of it" but sure enough there was always more! We were so full that we could barely move.

Pastor Peter then blessed us all and gave us each 4 bars of chocolate, a box of sweets and homemade honey. It was incredible! He kept telling us that he was so blessed to have us in his home. I can't even understand this! His wife spent all week preparing food, they probably spent way more money than they could afford and yet he said that he was the one who was blessed! Wow! God is so awesome!

Love you all!
Ashley

DSC_0355

DSC_0355, a photo by graceinukraine on Flickr.

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DSC_0149, a photo by graceinukraine on Flickr.

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DSC_0348, a photo by graceinukraine on Flickr.

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DSC00136, a photo by graceinukraine on Flickr.

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DSC_0001, a photo by graceinukraine on Flickr.

Our fabulous group!

Reaching Out

Today we went to the Romaniv Boys Orphanage. I blogged about it last year because it impacted me so deeply. It is one of those places that pierces your heart. It was raining today so the boys were inside but it was still awesome to be there. When we walked in the boys had lined up on both sides of the walkway just reaching out to us, so excited. I saw Alosha and Sasha that were in my group last year. It melted my heart to see them light up when I called their names. They looked so happy! I pray that they will continue to be joyful despite the conditions in the orphanage.

After we left the orphanage we to "the village" to pastor Peter's church and had lunch. We had borsh and pork! It was delicious and we were so blessed to be fed so well by our brothers and sisters in Christ. We then went to a house to chop wood. A grandmother, a pregnant mother and 5 children all live in the same one bedroom house. We chopped wood so they could keep warm for a whole year. It was a lot of wood! Haha! They were so thankful for us and it was an amazing experience.

We then went back to camp for dinner and a session. At session my group did a skit about honoring your father and mother. It was absolutely hysterical! It was so incredible to watch my campers get up there and have fun. It made me so proud.

After the session we went to the banya! It is a really really hot sauna with an ice cold pool and you go back and forth. we also hit each other with branches. It sounds unpleasant but it is very relaxing! Haha!

The best part of my day was not an activity though... today I got close to one of our adult leaders, Jamie. I look up to her so much and today we realized that we are thinking very similarly. We have also been through some of the same situations which makes our connection stronger. I am so happy that I have this new relationship and I know that it will continue to grow!

Today was very awesome! Please continue to pray for our team. Pray that God would strengthen us and give us patience.

Love you all!
Ashley

Amazing Day, Amazing Love

Hi friends,
Today was so much fun! We rented a moonbounce slide for the kids and it was awesome seeing them so excited. The kids in wheelchairs couldn't get up on their own so all the boys literally carried them all the way to the top. it was very tiring but they all said it was worth the pain to see them all so happy.

Another great part of today was during small group. One of the leaders in our group is Olya. She is disabled also, but is a leader. So cool! Anyway, she talked about her testimony and how she constantly asked God why He made her disabled. Why would He do this if He loved her? But then she said that she now knows that God made us all just the way He wants us so that through our struggles we can bring Him glory. She told us that God loved us. It was so powerful to hear Olya who can barely speak, tell us that God loves us. Her life is incredible and today it was so clear that she lives to serve the Lord.

Today we celebrated the birthday of Oleg, one of the boys from the Romaniv Orphanage. We have no idea it it was actually his birthday but it was amazing to see him so excited! But it was also heartbreaking because we know that today was probably the first and last time he will ever celebrate his birthday. What a blessing to watch him experience that!

Today was an amazing day for everyone on the team. At our meeting after the campers wend to bed we talked about our highlights of the day. Mary started talking about how one of her campers was being taken care of by a friend, not a parent. She said it is awesome to see a friend love another friend so much that she will take care of her. That made me think about my dear friend Cierra. She has a disease that limits her on a daily basis, and it even kept her from going on this trip. I get the awesome privilege of helping her when she has bad days. Hearing Mary talk about these friends reminded me how deeply I love Cierra. I would sacrifice anything to take care of her.

It is crazy to me that God loves us even more than I love my best friend. I wish I understood completely how much my father in heaven loves me but here in Ukraine, the small glimpses of God's love for me. overwhelms me. Slava Bogu!

Thank you for your prayers. Please pray for the sisters Yulia and Olya on our team who we are trying to get a response from. Today I danced with Yulia and she absolutely loved it. Pray that we would find more moments to show her God's love.

Thank you all!
Ashley

The Babooshka and Selfless Love

Hey everyone,
Today was the first full day of camp! Morning exercises were great, we listened to "I'm a Believer", YMCA and "Yah" by Usher. Haha anyway, there is a new cook this year so the food is much better! It seems like we eat all the time! Sometimes it's hard to eat dinner because we are still full from lunch.

The campers are awesome but sometimes their caretakers are even more incredible. At my lunch table is the oldest babooshka (grandma) at the camp. Last year was her first year at this camp with her granddaughter and I remember her very well because it was the first time in her life that she had ever experienced a shower. Anyway, at meal times she feeds her granddaughter each bite because she cannot move. Babooshka is so sweet to her. It is such a joy to watch her love her granddaughter so much. After she finishes eating her meal then the babooshka eats. She doesn't even touch her food until she is done serving. I can't imagine living like that, so selfless, every day. I think of how our Father in heaven is like the babooshka, feeding us and taking care of us because we can't do it ourselves. I am useless. We are all useless but God loves and cares for us despite our uselessness.

After every meal I take the babooshka's plates to the kitchen and today before I took her cup she pulled me over to her so that I was on my knees beside her and she started talking to me in Ukrainian, taking my hands between hers. I couldn't understand the words she said, but I understand that she was thanking me. She is a humble, thankful servant and I pray that one day I will be like her... Selfless!

The boy, Sirg, who was having trouble, left camp today so keep him in your prayers. I wish I could write about everything that happened today but just don't have the time. Please know that already in the short time here it has been an amazing experience! Please pray for my friend Ali, she is having a hard time coping with being away from home. Please pray for me that God will give me the right words to say, not only to Ali but to everyone here.

Love you all!
Ashley

We Arrived!

Hey friends!
24 hours of traveling and we finally made it to camp! We were greeted by the Ukrainian staff and I got to see many old friends that I knew from the last two years here and meet more new people! We had dinner and then had a meeting where we found out what groups we were in. My group leader is Vova and my interpreter is Yulia. Anna and Jamie from the Grace/Indiana team are also in this group with me. Our campers this year are ages 25-29 and they are physically disabled but not mentally. After the meeting we went right to bed and slept easily after almost 24 hours of traveling.

Today, the first morning here, we got up at 8:00 AM (1 AM US time) and had devotions with the staff and then had breakfast. Right away the campers started arriving and I was so happy to see campers I knew from previous years! Upon seeing all the people that I love (campers and Ukrainian staff), I started to cry because I was so overwhelmed with joy and love! I know only a few campers in my group from previous years. They are Tolik, the burn victim that I talked about last year, Maxim who got close to Shannon last year and a man named Viktor. We are having difficulty with one camper because he told his mom he wants to leave. He has a spinal cord injury and is very reluctant to turn from the sin in his life. Please pray that God would soften his heart. I spent much of today pushing around wheel chairs and playing games with some of the children that are not disabled.

It has been a good 1 1/2 days here but it has been hard being away from home. This is the first year that I have been a little homesick but I know that I will see you all (family and friends) very soon. I love you all very much! Sorry that it has taken me longer than usual to post but none of the outlets were working and when they finally were working my phone did not work.

Thank you all for your love, prayers and support to help make my trip here possible.
Love,
Ashley

P.S. Cierra, I know how much you wanted to be here with our group. I wish you were here. I miss you, love you and are taking lots of pictures for you!

Leaving Today!

Hey All!
I am leaving for Ukraine today! I am beyond excited to see all the beautiful Ukrainian faces! But first I have to go through almost 24 hours of traveling! It will be a long trip but sometimes this part is very fun! I would appreciate all of your prayers. God is going to do amazing things on this trip and i am so excited that i get to share it with you all every day on this blog! Thanks again for everything guys! Your support means so much to me!
Love you all! I will post again when we arrive in Ukraine!
-Ashley

Ukraine 2011

Hey all! As most of you know I am going back to Ukraine for a third time this summer! My trip is from June 20-July 1. I am really struggling with getting enough money to go this year. So if any of you can help in any way please let me know! I am willing to do small/odd jobs, babysitting, cleaning, anything really! Thanks again!
Also... prayer would be appreciated! (:
-Ashley

The Gates of Heaven

On the morning of the departure of our trip we walked down a full 3 flights of stairs, luggage in hand, not wanting to leave. As we came down those last 4 steps we were greeted by the campers, their mothers, and the ukrainian volenteers. The amount of thank you's and we love you's was overwhelming and wonderful at the same time. Campers and mothers that we thought we didnt even impact were hugging us and crying. One of the campers, Oksana, who has mental disabilities and was in me and Natalie's group was among the people who we thought did not understand why we had come in the first place. But oh my goodness, we were so wrong about her. I will never forget the feeling of her sobbing on my shoulder. The one thing that she said to Natalie and I was "Thank you for coming all the way to Ukraine just to be my friend. I love you." That is exactly why we went to Ukraine... was to show them what it means to love them as a friend, as family. But that was not the only beautiful thing that happened as we left. As we loaded the bus to leave, the oldest grandmother at the camp waved with wet eyes and when we pulled around the corner we saw the beautiful image of everyone gathered outside the camp gates waving to us. This beautiful image is not one that i can even begin to paint for you with words...... I guess the best way to describe it is that at that moment i knew that when my time is over here on earth and I die and go to heaven, I will see those same smiling faces welcoming me into the gates.

Now, it has been a full month since our trip to Ukraine. After such a powerful trip it takes a long time to process everything that happened. However, like most trips, the buzz of the experience is starting to wear off and I am finding it more and more difficult to remember details, names, and activities from the trip. Although this is starting to take place, I know that the most important things that I learned and experienced will stay with me forever.
There is so much that I wish I could tell you about this trip, but there are no words to describe the works of God that we saw. However, I can tell you how this trip has impacted me. In the last post I talked about giving my voice away and in the past few weeks I have been using my voice to glorify God. I am happy to tell you that I have not been taking my gifts for granted and i will continue to look for more opportunities to use them. For those of you who do not know, I want to become a teacher. Over this past year I have really struggled with exactly what I want to teach (as college is drawing near i need to be thinking about these things). But I think that struggle is over as I have possibly come to a conclusion. I want to be a special education teacher. However, I am still keeping my eyes, ears, and heart open to what God wants me to do. And who knows... maybe He wants me to get into the "Mission to Ukraine" ministry!
Anyway, I hope that through this blog I have communicated to you just a small amount of the glory and love of God that I experienced in Ukraine. Thank you for all of your prayers, love, and support. Each one of you has been a blessing.

-Ashley (:

Wanting To Give My Voice!

Good morning!
After a relaxing night at the bonya and not getting our usual amount of sleep this week, waking up for another day (Thursday) was difficult. However, being the last day of camp we tried to make the best out of the situation. Natalie had to take care of Sasha in the morning and she taught him how to blow bubbles. Meanwhile in small group I gave out gifts to the kids. They were really happy to receive the gifts from us and Yaslav said thank you to me with his picture book. We even had time to fly a kite in the afternoon! In the afternoon Nat and I taught Oleg how to say "holy poop" which was highly entertaining for a good 45 minutes! Oleg is a really smart kid and it was awesome to get to know him this week.

AS a goodbye from the camp we all got "passports" to the camp. It was touching to hear them say thank you to us and I am sure that I was not the only one thinking that that we should be the ones thanking them. The moms gave us all flowers made out of beads. These moms are so incredible and it was amazing to see how they have been impacted this week! Soon after, many of the campers sang songs with their small group. Some of them who can barely talk were singing with all of their strength to muster just a small sound. These people had to try so hard just to sing. Then I looked at myself.... I love to sing and it comes so easy for me. I am so blessed to be able to sing with ease and yet I take this gift for granted. I soon found myself wanting to give my voice away, and give it to these people because I know they would not take it for granted. They would give anything to be able to speak, to sing and to praise God with the sound of their voices. I didn't want my voice anymore. I wanted them to have it... But then I realized that God is pleased to see them praise Him without a voice. He smiles down on them despite their lack of voice. I was blessed with this gift and I realized that I need to use it for God's glory.

After being with the campers this week how can I not want to praise God with hands that I can move, legs that I can walk with, eyes that I can see with, a face that I can smile with, a mind that I can think with and a voice that I can sing with. After all, none of it is mine... It's all Gods! I will not be taking these things for granted anymore. This week God has opened my eyes to see his glory, his blessings, his power, his love and his forgiveness in ways I could not have imagined. Slava Bogu!

Blessings to all of you,
Ashley

Try It Sometime!

Yesterday, Wednesday was one of the best days of this past week. The boys and leaders plus Natalie went to a home this morning to chop wood for a family of 12. That meant they were not home all morning... Haha, this week the camp has become our home!

During small group time I had the opportunity to talk with one of our leaders, Nadia, through translation. She told me about the boy who she has been teaching all week. His name is Yaslav. This boy is completely nonverbal but very high functioning. So this week Nadia was teaching him how to use a picture book. His mom said it was no use because they had a picture book at home but he did not want to use it. But Nadia quickly realized that it wasn't that he didn't want to use it, it was that he did not know how to use it. So from just 8 days of working with him, Yaslav learned how to use it. I could tell that he was so happy to be able to communicate. It was cool to see this unfold in such a short time! It continues to amaze us what God can do!

Yesterday was also our camper Demas birthday. He is probably the biggest guy you have ever seen but his mind is that of a 11 year old. So after dinner his mom brought our small group a whole platter of food to celebrate. She had all kids of chocolate, cookies, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes and fruit juice. Sasha went nuts and started eating and soon chocolate was all over his face and he was the happiest I have seen him all week! It was super fun to see that and it was fun to eat good food too.

One of our leaders, Anton has gotten really close to Sasha. Nat and me have been talking about how close they have been talking about this and how Anton has been Sasha;s "father' all week. So after session Sasha came up to Anton and gave him a huge hug. Then Anton looked at me and Nat and said, "he is like a son to me". Right when he said this we broke down. It was so touching to see Anton love Sasha like the father that Sasha never and will ever have.

It was a great day and we ended it by going to the bonya!!! Soooo relaxing! The bonya is like a sauna that gets really hot and then there is a freezing cold pool that you jump into when you are too hot. Then you get hit by beech branches! It is the most relaxing thing in the world! You will all have to try it sometime!

Such a good day! (: God is good! Thinking of all of you back home, my family, friends and all of you who have supported me and are praying for all of us here.
Love,
Ashley

Mom's Spa Day!

Yesterday was a frustrating day for me. The kids in my group had a lot of energy and must have decided that that it was a "lets bug Ashley day"! Haha! Plus, I was dehydrated so that made me even more irritable. I managed to make it through the day and it actually turned out to be good overall.

We had the "Camp Special Olympics" and it was cool to see the kids get called up one by one to get a medal and some other prizes. It was so good to see all of them with smiles on their faces. It was the happiest that I have seen all these kids!!

Yesterday, I also got to help with the moms. The moms had "spa day" where they get massages and their hair and nails done. Most of these moms have never been pampered in this way. They were so excited to get their manipedis! I helped give them hand massages before their manicure. I was only there for an hour but it was cool to see how this camp is working in the lives of the moms too. Often I get so caught up in seeing how we are impacting the kids and I completely forgot how it is impacting the moms. These women are learning so much and I have no doubt that almost all of them will be be able to take what they have learned to become better moms to their kids and be able to teach them more about life and how to love.

I ask for your prayers for health because some of our group are not feeling up to par.
Love,
Ashley

Right Under Our Noses

Hey friends,
Today we talked about forgiveness and how God forgives us. How He loves us so much that He paid the price by giving his life for us so that we could be free of the guilt of sin. He just asks that we accept the precious gift of His son and forgiveness that is available to everyone. It was exciting to know that the campers were having this precious opportunity to hear these words.

During morning exercises today, Oleg was dancing.... I have never seen a kid dance so much in my life. It was the most hysterical thing ever! He can definitely bust a move! It was so cool to see so much happiness and freedom to express it!

God continues to work right under our noses without us even realizing it sometimes. One of the leaders of the camp, Oksana, was asking me about a boy from the orphanage who is in our group (Elosha, but not the same Alosha I talked about the other day). Oksana asked me if he was behaving. I was really surprised by this question because Elosha is the most behaved boy in our group. He is always smiling and laughing. When I told her this, she was astonished and preceded to tell me that at first she did not even want Elosha to come to camp because at the orphanage he gets upset easily, cries a lot and hits himself... The Elosha that Oksana was telling me about is nothing like the the Elosha that I have been loving all week. This shows how much that love and time matters to the development and behavior of a child. Hopefully, this special time with him will improve his behavior when he returns to the orphanage.

We were planning to have a special Olympics today but it started raining so it was cancelled. Pray for our team because we have the task and privilege of teaching the lesson to the kids tomorrow. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement.
Love you all,
Ashley

P.S. Nat says hi (: